Total pages in book: 45
Estimated words: 42796 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 214(@200wpm)___ 171(@250wpm)___ 143(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 42796 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 214(@200wpm)___ 171(@250wpm)___ 143(@300wpm)
Are you okay, mate?
Yes. Let’s go flying.
Brooks raced to his forelegs and clambered up to sit in his normal spot. Once his mate settled securely into place, Rogan launched himself into the air. Heading directly to the back pasture, Rogan flew low to scoop up a cow before rising back into the clouds to devour his meal.
Steak, hamburger, roast. Steak, hamburger, roast.
Rogan chuckled at the words running on repeat in his mate’s mind as Brooks struggled to handle the sound of snapping bones as the dragon’s strong teeth devoured the creature. She was gone before her hooves left the ground. The cow didn’t suffer.
Thanks for sharing that tidbit of information… Steak, hamburger, roast. Steak, hamburger, roast.
Restocking his resources, Rogan ate the bare minimum of two more cows before heading to Drake’s, where the dragons gathered. He’d avoid serving beef for dinner for a few nights.
By the time they’d reached the rendezvous point, Brooks had stopped chanting. He leaned forward to peer over Rogan’s head. There are a lot of dragons down there. Do you think Keres is okay today?
If he has a focus, he’s fine. Keres will concentrate on the threat to the dragons.
Okay.
Rogan understood the hesitancy he heard in his mate’s tone. He wished he could erase his mate’s apprehension about the black dragon. It was impossible since even he wasn’t sure how firm a grasp Keres had on reality. So far, Keres had supported the horde when they’d needed him.
I will never let him touch you, Adventurer. He would have to go through me.
I’m not afraid of him.
Stay close to me, Adventurer. Let’s not tempt him.
With that, Rogan landed close to the gathering below. His mate scrambled off, standing on the far side of Rogan. When he’d shifted, Rogan reached out a hand for his mate’s and led him forward to meet everyone.
Immediately, the other mates rushed forward to greet Brooks. Skye was the first to hug him—her usual aversion to physical contact obviously overwhelmed by her joy in seeing him.
“Hi, Skye. Everything’s okay now,” Brooks reassured her.
“We were all scared. When Oldrik got hit by that powder, he said it was awful. He couldn’t tell which way was up or down,” Skye told him as she stepped back to allow Lalani, Aurora, and Ciel to greet him as well.
“My direct hit had a more severe effect. It ripped my dragon and human sides apart,” Rogan shared.
Shocked silence followed that announcement.
Drake shook his head. “How did you survive that?”
“My mate decided to open the third lock and come searching through my mind for me,” Rogan said.
“That’s ballsy,” Keres drawled. “Perhaps I should focus on finding a male mate, too.”
“A perfect mate will show up for you,” Skye assured him. The blue and bronze dragons’ mate had a special relationship with Keres. The black dragon had returned her, Derek, and Brooks to Wyvern. Keres favored the quiet woman to her mates’ consternation. The two had a special bond.
“Thank you, Skye. Let’s hope that happens before the horde decides to force me away,” Keres said pointedly, staring at the assembled dragons.
“Keres. Did you get any information from May?” Rogan interrupted that conversational jab before it could continue.
“Not much. The powder completely knocked her out. Luckily, I pushed the air drifting over the two of you with my wings and blasted that coat and glove you removed from her with minimal burning,” Keres told them.
“We’ll need to talk to her. She helped them because the bad guys were holding her younger brother hostage,” Rogan said.
“Those jerks. Who would do that to a little boy?” Lalani asked.
“Zealots,” Drake suggested. “Did you pick up any clues about what’s inspiring these attacks, Rogan?”
“Not anything we haven’t considered. We do have another link to them. That’s more than we had last week. May might be able to help us. I can lead us to the building they were in. I’m sure they’re cleared out by now, but we might pick up some clues there,” Rogan shared.
“They’ll have booby-trapped that house. It’s too dangerous to go in. We’ll have to destroy it.” Argenis vetoed any exploration.
“You’re right,” Rogan agreed. “So, shall we start with May?”
“As soon as she wakes up,” Khadar suggested. “In the meantime, we need to do something. The bad guys got them from somewhere. Someone may be is looking for two kids.”
“I doubt relatives will come forward. May is too thin. My guess is no one has cared for her for a long time,” Rogan told them.
“We could check at the orphanage or with someone who handles foster care children?” Lalani guessed.
“That’s a possibility. Let’s put out the word for any information about them. Wyverns will be concerned about two children being used as bait and held to blackmail someone,” Ardon stated firmly.
“I’ll take Brooks to his grandmother’s to check on May,” Rogan volunteered.